1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wireless communications. More specifically, the present invention relates to providing information about wireless devices associated with subscribers to a communications network.
2. Background of the Invention
As mobile communications devices, or mobile stations (MS), play an increasing role in society, capabilities of devices are being continually enhanced. Initially, mobile devices such as cell phones were used primarily to host telephone conversations. With the proliferation of pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other mobile devices, short text messages, email, and web content can now be conveniently sent to and from a mobile user.
In addition to increasing the type of information that a mobile user can receive at an MS, technology advances also can enhance the quality of communication, by providing multiple capabilities in a single MS. Thus, it is typical for a subscriber to a mobile communications service to have voice, email, web-browsing, and short message capability integrated in a single MS device. While the ability to include multiple communications capability in a single MS may enhance the efficiency of an individual MS user, often a user may wish to interact with other MS users through more than one communications method. For example, in business transactions, a first MS user may wish to talk to a second user, and additionally, transmit an email message to the second user. If the second user is operating an MS that is not capable of receiving email, the quality of the interaction between the first and second users is less than ideal, resulting in a loss of productivity. Thus, the overall productivity of an MS user may be limited by the capability not only of the user's own MS device, but that of other users with whom she may be in contact using mobile communications. The value associated with a network of such MS users will thus be limited according to the capability of mobile devices associated with network users. Additionally, even if a second user operates a mobile station with advanced capabilities, a first user unaware of such capabilities may fail to make productive use of the capabilities of the second user's mobile station.
In light of the foregoing, there is a need to provide information to a mobile station user about mobile stations belonging to contact of the user, in order to enhance the productivity of the mobile station user.